Since 2011, Slush and Sun Effects have been creating a new world after another. Our event venues drive to break the status quo of how startup and tech conferences look like. This year Slush shines in pink and orange, wears moss and rust, and blends utopia with phobia.

Jenni Kääriäinen, Chief Designer at Slush, closes her eyes and struggles to phrase how this year’s design began to emerge. The inspiration for her work usually comes on the sly, and cannot be tracked to any specific starting point. ”It’s hard to explain. Something just keeps moving towards a certain direction. After processing the feeling it gives, over and over again, I’ll usually end up with one keyword that seals it all,” Jenni tells.

This year, there are two keywords: utopia and phobia. According to Jenni, this makes the theme ”extremely powerful as there are provoking dynamics between these two words.” When hearing concrete examples of how this comes alive at the venue, the core idea finally starts to unfold.

Founder Stage will present mostly keynotes from successful founders. The Opening Show takes place on Founder Stage as well as the Slush 100 Finals.

The Theme Comes Alive Through Senses

Utopia and phobia are meant to cross-cut the whole experience from the entrance to the exit. ”When arriving, it’s going to feel uncomfortable,” Jenni describes. ”Slush will be an abandoned, dead neon city which has to be brought to life. And when it’s brought to life, you’ll notice how attractive and hopeful the atmosphere can be.”

Startup Square is the most central location in the middle of the Slush City. Startups Demo Booths are located here.

What comes to the visual elements, utopia can be spotted in reviving pink light whereas phobia glows in deadly orange. In materials, moss and rust are opposites – moss picturing the healing effect of nature, and rust reflecting the cast-off past. “These counterparts go hand in hand. Pink meets the orange, and moss grows on rust. It’s all blended,” Jenni tells.

Fireside program will consist of intensive fireside discussions. Yes, there is the fire in between the speakers.

The Venue Will Challenge Every Attendee

Like every year, this world inside Messukeskus exists for only two days. During those hours, it’s designed to evoke something in our guests. ”If we get the venue right, Slush unlocks visitors’ critique minds to question the world,” Jenni explains. ”I hope that the questioning arises from the inside of an individual, not outside. That’s how art works.”

What makes this art especially impactful is how the venue design supports the Slush main theme, Call for Solvers. ”Program and design play the same game. Whereas program has a more utopic call to action and highly active role, venue stays passively in the background and sets the right mood,” Jenni portrays, and finally concludes convincingly:

”If we really unlock the criticism in all of those 17,500 entrepreneurial minds, and do it collectively… Then things really start to happen, big time.”

When the doors to Slush 2017 open in November, take a deep breath and dive in open-minded. The venue which pulsates utopia and echos phobia, provides a provoking atmosphere for every solver. Although the event lasts only two days, the after effect might last for a lifetime.

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